When Clayton Kershaw made his major league debut as a gangly 20-year-old with a devastating curveball, he was considered a one-in-a-million talent.
On Wednesday he entered a much smaller club, becoming the 20th pitcher in history to strike out 3,000 batters. The milestone came in the sixth inning on his 100th pitch of the night, a 1-and-2 slider to the Chicago White Sox’ Vinny Capra for a called strike.
Kershaw then walked off the mound alone before being mobbed by his teammates on the warning track in front of the Dodgers dugout. A video of Kershaw’s career highlights then aired on the video boards above the outfielder pavilions.
After the video, Kershaw stepped out of the far end of the dugout and doffed his cap to the crowd before the game resumed with the White Sox leading 4-2.
“It’s the last box for Clayton to check in his tremendous career,” said Dodger manager Dave Roberts, who doubted many more pitchers will reach the 3,000K club, before the game. “You’ve got to stay healthy, you’ve got to be good early in your career, you’ve got to be good for a long time,” he said. “I’m a fan first and I’ve kind of appreciated longevity and moments like that, as opposed to one moment in time. The consistency is something that should be valued.”
Roberts said before the game he would manage differently as Kershaw approached the milestone and he did, allowing him to start the sixth inning despite having made 92 pitches, the most he’s thrown in a game in more than two years.
Kershaw was greeted by a loud ovation when he stepped out of the dugout to stretch about 40 minutes before game time. Fans also roared every time Kershaw got the count to two strikes, trying to will their way to history.
How elite is the club Kershaw just joined? More people have flown to the moon than have struck out 3,000 major league hitters. He’s just the fourth left-hander to do it and the second in the last century to do it pitching for the same club.
Kershaw struck out the first batter he faced in his debut 18 years ago, getting the Cardinals’ Skip Schumaker to wave at a 1-and-2 pitch. It was the first of three strikeouts he would record in his first big-league inning. So even from the start, the K — the scorebook symbol for a strikeout — in Kershaw stood out more than than the rest of the name.
Notes: Before Wednesday’s game pitchers Blake Snell and Blake Treinen threw to hitters for the first time since going on the injured list in April. Snell, a two-time Cy Young winner, has been on the injured list with shoulder inflammation since April 6, while Treinen has been sidelined with forearm tightness since April 19. “They’ll go again in a couple days,” Roberts said. “But both guys looked really good.” Right-hander Tyler Glasnow, also out since April shoulder inflammation, is scheduled to make his third minor league rehab start for Oklahoma City on Thursday.
Staff writer Ira Gorawara contributed to this report.
This story will be updated.
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